Directions to Literary Analysis

(Late Final drafts will be deducted points as per our syllabus agreement)

Before you can begin to write your first draft, you must write a proposal where you select and explain the focus of your intended paper. Your paper topic must be narrowed down and not too broad. For example, racism is not a narrow enough topic but Elwood’s experience of double consciousness during the civil rights movement is. Once I approve your topic you will write an essay draft.

Your final draft will be worth 30% of the class grade. In it you will write a minimum of 900 words , in third person, where you critically analysis a conflict, problem or theme explored in The Nickel Boys. Note that a literary analysis essay is an “argumentative essay,” meaning that you are supposed to have a “debatable” thesis statement which you will prove through evidence using the novel as your primary source and at least one credible scholarly article from the MDC database for support.

Students who submit a plot summary with very little analysis will not receive a passing grade. Instead you will select scenes and quotes from parts of the novel to support an argument. Your essay must be no more than 15% summary to 85% argument and analysis.

-- Tips to make sure you are Analyzing and not just summarizing: To analyze is to scrutinize, to break scenes down and reveal a deeper understanding of the novel and its connection to the issue explored. You may include a brief synopsis of the novel in your intro, but after that you need not be concerned with presenting the plot of the story. Someone who is doing analysis assumes the reader has already “seen” or read the novel. Only describe scenes or examples that help you prove your thesis argument, as the reader is expecting a detailed argument on various aspects of your chosen issue.

To ensure you are meeting all the requirements ask yourself:

(Intro 10pts):

· Is there an introduction that hooks the reader and presents an issue explored in the novel? Does the student include the title of the novel in MLA? Is there a very brief 3-4 sentence summary of the main happenings of the novel?

· VERY IMPORTANT! I need you to include, in the introduction, a debatable thesis statement that provides your individual “reading”/argument of a theme/issue explored in novel. Ask yourself, can someone reasonably argue the opposite of what I am arguing? If yes, you are on the right track. Presenting a debatable thesis will force you to support an argument in your body and will prevent you from simply summarizing and stating the obvious.

(BODY Paragraphs 40pts): Your task is to analyze the novel and make a case for your thesis statement. Ask yourself:

· Does the body offer at least 4 WELL-DEVELOPED supporting paragraphs that convince the reader that your interpretation and analysis is a feasible one?

· Do these supporting paragraphs have a clear topic sentence that makes a claim which refers back to the thesis statement

· Are claims supported logically through explanations and specific examples from the novel and or scholarly source?

· Does each paragraph include quote(s) from the primary or secondary source?

· Are the quotes relevant to the argument and are they less than three sentences long?

· Are the quotes and examples thoroughly explained and analyzed?

· How smooth is your transitions and connections from one idea to the next?

· Are you fulfilling reader expectations and the old to new contract?

(Conclusion 10pts):

· Is there a conclusion that wraps up the paper nicely and reaffirms the student writer’s position?

· Does the writer leave the reader thinking deeply about the importance of the paper’s argument?

· Is the conclusion at least 5 sentences long?

(Organization 10pts):

· Do you sustain and support a focused argument throughout the paper?

· Are the paragraphs organized logically? Are there transitions between ideas and paragraphs? Are there appropriate paragraph breaks?

(Grammar and style 10pts):

· Is the paper free of major grammatical errors?

· Is the style appropriate to the Genre — a closed form, third person, academic analysis?

· How well does it read? Can the reader understand each sentence the first time read?

· Is there sentence variety and rhythm?

(MLA 10pts):

· Is the paper in MLA style: double spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font, with appropriate headings, last name and page numbers, and a creative title?

· Are the sources, including the movie or poem, cited properly inside the essay?

· Is there an MLA Works Cited page, which includes the film or the poem?

· Do you include at least 2 credible sources from the MDC Database and not Wikipedia or Google?

(Word Count and Analysis 10pts): Is the essay at least 900 words in length? Does the paper do more analyzing than summarizing 80/15? INCOMPLETE ESSAYS WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE AN “F”